Tag Archives: residential

Often integrators and systems installers don’t think of wireless intrusion as a first option for a commercial customer. Historically, wireless intrusion solutions have been seen as unreliable, plagued by interference and offering a short battery life. But it’s time to reconsider wireless intrusion’s suitability for commerce and examine just what current systems have to offer, given recent technological advances.

Poor reliability and substantial interference have been the two biggest complaints about wireless intrusion. The introduction of frequency hopping within wireless devices has solved some of this. Frequency hopping allows an intrusion device to hop around channels within the specified frequency at a constant pace to find the clearest signal, making it difficult to hack or penetrate. Frequency hopping divides a large frequency band into 50 channels, which translates to less interference and increased reliability. Adaptive path technology then finds the most efficient path to the intrusion panel so that, together with frequency hopping and 128-bit encryption, devices can communicate to one another easily and securely.

Another technology that benefits wireless intrusion is two-way synchronous communication or TDMA. With traditional one-way devices, there is no communication between an alarm device and the panel. Two-way devices allow for back and forth communication and result in less noise, which can be a problem when using a large number of devices.

Ease of installation and low maintenance are musts for the commercial intrusion market. The adaptability of cutting-edge wireless intrusion systems makes installation even easier. Already simple to install because wireless systems do not require installers to pull wire, installers can now install or update devices at any time. In addition, new technology in wireless devices can help an installer identify signal strength issues before mounting a sensor, for example.

Along with providing powerful analytic options and remote management, two-way communication makes maintenance and troubleshooting easier. Remote management allows installers and end users to solve problems without having to visit each device in person. Technology like this saves both the installer and end user time and money, providing faster troubleshooting and less down time.

The efficiency of all these advancements, including adaptive path technology and frequency hopping, results in battery savings. Battery power is no longer eaten up by signals that go nowhere or are inefficient, one-way communications. Plus these systems do not require high-capacity batteries. Add to this a longer batter life, typically five to eight years, and the user sees significant cost savings with wireless intrusion technology when it comes to battery power.

As technology in general has evolved, so too has wireless technology. Personal computers, which at one time required an Ethernet cord to connect to the Internet, now rely on wireless technology to transmit information. The same is true for the movies we watch, which can now be streamed wirelessly and directly to the television set.

As the use of wireless intrusion systems has grown it has provided the commercial user with the convenience of easier installation and maintenance, battery savings, and most importantly, high reliability. With these evolutions in technology and reliability, wireless intrusion is becoming not only a viable option in the commercial market, but could become the preferred choice of the future.